Recommendations for Washington D.C.

>In article , Christin Denise Merola
>Someone wrote:
>
>> Does anyone have any recommendations for good restaurants in Washington D.C.?
>>
>> We're taking a long weekend there in mid-June and we're looking for a
>> restaurant that is not a tourist trap. We're adventurous and willing to
>> try any cuisine.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Christin
>
>I'm too lazy to do it myself, but if you search dejanews you will find
>several articles posted a couple months ago when I asked the same
>question.
>
>Heather A.
>
Sheesh...and you can't just mention a few of the reccomendations??

Anyhoo...for Modern American, try Vidalia, Kinkaids or 1789. The chefs at all three are fabulous...if you go to 1789, say "hi" to Ris for me...

For steaks, the Prime Rib is still King!! If you go there, say "hi" to anyone...they'll remember me!

For Mexican, Lauriol Plaza is fantastic. For Italian, there's a tiny place on Dupont Circle called Obelisk which is delightful. Pre-fixe menu and wonderful Italian wine selections...

Dave Argentieri

CC: [email removed]
Xref:  rec.food.restaurants:39501

> Subject:      Recommendations for Washington D.C.
> From:         Christin Denise Merola
> Date:         1998/05/26
> Does anyone have any recommendations for good restaurants in Washington D.C.?
>
> We're taking a long weekend there in mid-June and we're looking for a
> restaurant that is not a tourist trap. We're adventurous and willing to
> try any cuisine.
> Thanks, Christin

A while back, I wrote a REALLY long answer to a similar question. I have updated it several times since, and took another look at it this morning.  So, here's a list of some of my current favorites...

A good source for restaurant reviews is the Washington Post's restaurant review database at: http://search.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/searches/restrant.htm  You can get exact addresses, phone numbers, hours, and price ranges from there.

And here I could write a novel.  In order to give a really perfect answer here, I would need to know exactly what you like to eat, but I can give a few ideas.  I tend to eat ethnic, and mid-priced.  That said:

Among my favorite places in the entire city is a place called Cashion's Eat Place.  Its in a neighborhood known as Adams-Morgan, in NW DC, on Columbia Rd.  New American food.  Outrageously good, and at the high end of prices.  Worth every penny.  MAKE RESERVATIONS or you may have trouble getting in.

Next on the not ethnic, not mid priced, but amazing list is Ruppert's Restaurant.  7th St NW, at Mt Vernon Square.  Also outrageously expensive, new american, MUST have a reservation to get in.  A marvelous place with great food and great service.

And of course, Marrakesh.  6th and NY Aves NW.  The neighborhood scares some people off, but its not as bad as they think it is.  Morroccan. Fixed-price, seven courses, traditional Morroccan EVERYTHING - seating, decor, food, service, and belly dancing.  Make reservations.  Plan on spending about 2 1/2 hours there.  Its a narrow, orange building, labeled only in arabic.  You have to knock on the door to get in.  The decor is incredible, the food is delicious, the service is good.

On to the next category:

Adams-Morgan is a good neighborhood to eat in.  It centers around 18th St and Columbia Rd NW - Halfway between the Woodley Park-Zoo Metro stop and the Dupont Circle Metro stop.  Many many restaurants, wide variety of cuisine and price range.  My favorite pool hall (Bedrock Billiards) is in this neighborhood. Several good places in descending order of price: Felix (New American), The Grill from Ipanema (Brazilian Steakhouse), Meskerem (Ethiopian), Cafe LuTrec (French cafe, lize jazz at night),  Mama Ayesha's (Lebanese), Star of Siam, India Gate, basically, its hard to go wrong eating in Adams-Morgan.

There's also a lot of good food at Dupont Circle.  My personal favorite is Pizzeria Paradisio, on P St NW, between 20th & 21st.  Go early.  Its a small place, the lines are long, and they don't take reservations. Right around the circle there are a number of good places.  Read menus and follow your nose.  I also like Cafe Luna (Cheap, Pizza, Pasta, Sandwiches), on 17th &P.  On 17th St between P and R there is another (smaller) restaurant district.  Many good places to eat.  I LOVE Annie's Paramount Steak House.

Just below Dupont Circle, but above Farragut Square, off Conn Ave, on a small side street called Jefferson, is a wonderful Lebanese place called Bacchus.  Really great food !

Cleveland Park is another good neighborhood to eat (right at the Cleveland Park metro stop).  Go to Melati (Malaysian/Indonesian) right on Connecticutt Ave.  The YenCheng Palace is a good Chinese place.  Spices offers a mix of Asian food, including good sushi.  If you're just drinking, go to the Aroma Company, also on Conn Ave.  And, for a good pub, Nanny O'Brian's, also on Conn is good - they also make decent sandwiches and burgers.

Just one Metro Stop down from Cleveland Park is Woodley Park.  Eat at Mrs Simpsons (Yes, named for the Duchess of Windsor) for new American (Not cheap, and they take reservations.), or at Lebanese Taverna.  For Lebanese, go early.  Lines are long, no reservations.  Or at Saigon Gourmet,the Vietnamese place right next door to Lebanese Taverna.  Or, for upscale Italian, go to Petito's.  If you simply want dessert and coffee, the best in the city is at Dolce Finale, in the wine cellar at Petito's.  Murphy's Irish Pub is also here.  City Blues is here too.  At both of these places go for the drinks and the music.  Food is passable, but NOT memorable.

Chinatown is at the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro stop - close to the museums.  A good neighborhood for lunch.  My favorite places there are Tony Cheng's Mongolian Barbeque on H St NW, and Mr Yungs, on 6th St NW. There's a Burmese place upstairs from Mr. Yung's.  And there's a decent brewpub on 7th St NW, between E and F Sts called the District Chophouse.  There's also Jaleo, at 7th and E Sts NW, for Tapas.  And somewhere in Chinatown are Cafe Atlantico (Good Carribean) and Coco Loco. (Both in the NOT cheap category.)

Capitol Hill is a good place to eat too.  For the South side of the hill:  On Pennsylvania Ave SE, between 6th and 7th look for a place called Anatolia for GREAT Turkish food.  Further up toward the Capitol, also on Pennsylvania Ave, Taverna the Greek Isalnds is good, and La Lomitas Dos is nice for Mexican.  On a weekend, if you want to feel local, go to Eastern Market (7th & Constitution SW), look around, and eat at Market Lunch (VERY casual, breakfast and luch on Staurday, lunch only on Sunday.) For the North side of the hill:  Massachusetts Ave NE, starting at Union Station, down to about 7th St is another small restaurant strip.  Several good places there...And B Smith's, in Union Station, is a decent nouvelle Southern place, in the old Presidential Waiting Room of the Train Station.  Live jazz on weekends.

U St NW between 12th and 14th Sts is our newest trendy restaurant/entertainment district.  Eat at Polly's Cafe, or at Coppis, or - well, it's another area where its hard to go wrong...  and its a good place to hit bars.

Georgetown.  This is M st and Wisconsin Ave NW.  The neighborhood is rather expensive, and full of tourists.  But there are some good places.  Music City Roadhouse serves Southern food, with live country music on weekends, and live gospel at Sunday Brunch.  Il Raddichio is a nice spaghetti and pizza place.(local chain)   Adati does good Indian. Cafe Babalu does strange, but good southwestern stuff.  Live jazz/blues late on weekends.  Clydes is ok, but not amazing pub grub. Same for Chadwick's. Not worth the time really, but convenient to grab a burger while shopping.

(Locals with additions/comments are welcome to email me - I know its not complete, and I do TRY to keep up on openings/closings/etc.)  (Tourists with questions are also welcome to email me.)  (note to spammers:you are NEVER welcome to email me.)

(This has been both posted and emailed to the original poster.  My newsfeed is occasionally flaky, and I don't trust it to actually make it to the newsgroup.)